Olympic Spirit Triumphs

The Olympics is sure to be in your thoughts right now as our athletes line up with the world’s best in London. With around 100 athletes hailing from Queensland some would say that there must be ‘something in the water’ here. And one who excelled in the water was Kieren Perkins. When asked how he achieved such feats he answered, “Being your best is not so much about overcoming the barriers other people place in front of you as it is about overcoming the barriers we place in front of ourselves”.

Society as a whole is finding out at breathtaking speed that health, like sporting success, is not just about what’s going on physically but what’s happening mentally. We’re hearing a lot more about how what we believe can make an enormous difference in what we experience. We’re hearing more about the role of spirituality in health, making people better physically as well as emotionally.

Some psychiatrists support these ideas by pointing out that obsessions with fitness and weight loss are not helpful, while we overlook a yearning for meaning in life. It’s not until many elite athletes retire that they are compelled to discover real spiritual meaning to their lives. Big life changes that we all face at times, tend to promote this searching.

On the other hand, often it’s when athletes find spiritual meaning that talent and true sportsmanship unite to produce a great athlete. And we’ve seen some true ‘greats’ in Australian sporting history. The same could be said for musicians or architects or administrators.

Observe with me over the next couple of weeks how each of our Olympian athletes has progressed in this understanding, as we barrack together for the sporting and spiritual quests of “Team Oz”.